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The Actor’s Perspective | Drew Eberly – Mr. Bingley, et al

On preparing:
I had read the book in a masters-level Victorian Literature course the year prior to being cast in our show. It turned out to be great timing! My professor for the course was Dr. Laura Vorachek, who has published widely on Jane Austen and had a great enthusiasm for the text. The class discussed Pride and Prejudice and each student selected an aspect of the book for further research. I looked into Austen’s use of gossip in the novel. I tend to agree with Ms. Austen that gossip can be quite fun.

On the character:
Bingley is my favorite character. If Austen’s characters are sometimes guilty of questioning the meaning and motivation behind every tip of the hat, then Bingley is the remedy. His character makes a great argument for living unguarded and living happily.

Takeaways:
People are silly, self-conscious, and often ridiculous. They are also beautiful and love is an eternally interesting subject.

On the book:
It’s one of those book where it’s helpful to keep a character sheet or a family tree handy…a lot happens quickly and all those English names: Lucas, Wickham, Fitzwilliam, Gardiner…I was constantly slamming the book down, crying, “Please, not another nephew.”
Favorite film version:
I found things to enjoy in every film version, though I haven’t found one with a Caroline Bingley that can stand up to Michelle Schroeder’s.

Daniel Kramer:
Daniel’s script is very clever. I love its very human portrayal of contemporaries interacting with a book…It admirably proves that it’s okay to not understand every nuance, it’s okay to miss things or have questions…you can still be a person who loves to experience great Literature.

Eleni Papaleonardos:
calm, giving, funny, my friend…her confidence in me that I could do this project meant everything to me

Favorite Scene:
Due to the staging in our version, we get to watch a number of scenes unfold. For a favorite, I cannot choose between the following two:
*Darcy and Elizabeth at the end of the play…Yes, I’m a sucker for the romantic comedy moment of “yes, we must really love each other.” Acacia and Ian are able to keep the scene sincere and genuinely romantic, yet there’s this great layer of surprise in both of them, as if they’re both utterly shocked that not only is it going to work out, but that it’s going to work out for them.

*Mrs. Bennett taking center stage while her daughter is receiving a marriage proposal is priceless. She needs to talk about the state of her dresses and naturally this seems like the perfect moment.